Azerbaijan - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Azerbaijan. Both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked. Mother's mean age at first birth is 24 years (2019 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 41 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Azerbaijan
Location Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Geographic coordinates 40 30 N, 47 30 E
Map references Asia
Tarrain large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland, much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) to the west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite
Natural Hazards droughts
Irrigated Land 14,649 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 2,468 km
Border Countries Armenia 996 km; Georgia 428 km; Iran 689 km; Russia 338 km; Turkey 17 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (713 km)
Climate dry, semiarid steppe
Area
Total Area
Land Area 82,629 sq km
Water Area 3,971 sq km
comparative Area about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Maine
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Bazarduzu Dagi 4,466 m
Lowest point Caspian Sea -28 m
Mean elevation 384 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 57.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 22.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 32.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 11.3% (2018 est.)
Other 31.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the country, in and around Baku; apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population

People and Society

In Azerbaijan, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Azerbaijani 91.6%, Lezghin 2%, Russian 1.3%, Armenian 1.3%, Talysh 1.3%, other 2.4% (2009 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.43% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 11.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 4.6% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 4.8 beds/1,000 population (2014)
Total fertility rate 1.69 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.79 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 62.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Azerbaijani | Azerbaijani(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim 97.3% (predominantly Shia), Christian 2.6%, other <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1 (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 22.3% (male 1,269,241/female 1,104,529)
15-64 years 68.7% (male 3,659,441/female 3,656,493)
65 years and over 9% (2024 est.) (male 401,551/female 558,984)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 44.2
Youth dependency ratio 34.7
Elderly dependency ratio 9.7
Potential support ratio 10.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 34.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 32.8 years
Female 36 years
Urbanization
Urban population 57.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.432 million BAKU (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.15 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.15 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 12.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 75.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 73.5 years
Female 78.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 93.3% of population
Improved: total total: 97.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 6.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 2.9% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: NA
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: (2020 est.) NA
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 24% (2020 est.)
Male 47.9% (2020 est.)
Female 0.1% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Azerbaijan’s citizenry has over 80 ethnic groups. The far eastern part of the country has the highest population density, particularly in and around Baku. Apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population. Approximately 57% of the country’s inhabitants lives in urban areas.  While the population is continuing to grow, it is in the early stages of aging. The declining fertility rate – which has decreased from about 5.5 children per woman in the 1950s to less than the 2.1 replacement level in 2022 – combined with increasing life expectancy has resulted in the elderly making up a larger share of Azerbaijan’s populace. The percentage of elderly residents and the slowed growth and eventual shrinkage of the working-age population could put pressure on the country’s pension and healthcare systems. 

All Important Facts about Azerbaijan

Want to know more about Azerbaijan? Check all different factbooks for Azerbaijan below.

Azerbaijan is found in Western Asia